30 May 2007

Parenting one is so much easier

This week, the older two are hanging with their grandparents. While they fish, sail, and in general have fun, we only have the youngest.

Ways this has made life easier:

1) The ride back from grandparents' house was silent, as youngest napped most of the way. No squabbling.

2) Youngest knows how to occupy herself, unlike middle child, who treats alone time like solitary confinement.

3) Youngest does not whine incessantly. Yet.

4) No one to pick on. No one to fight with over the couch. No one to fight with toys. Youngest has taken to a "mine, all mine!" attitude with toys. And there is no one around to gainsay her. She's in heaven.

5) Youngest goes to bed at 8 sharp. I have hours of time to do housework, errands, whatever before I collapse.

6) Only one kid means we don't have to wake up as early to start the morning shuffle.

7) Only one place to stop after work for daycare pickup.

8) Possibility that I'll get called out of work due to sick child is now much less.

That's not to say I don't miss the older two. But silence in our house right now is golden.

Plus, it gives me a good chance to fix the popped nails/broken plaster in my son's room without a curious five-year-old around to "help."

21 May 2007

Me & Bob B. II

Video, now uploaded at YouTube. Props to B.Shipman, the professor who created the video, and did an awesome job helping us out all weekend with the video end of things.

14 May 2007

Me & Bob B.

I survived.

For all the work, it was actually pretty fun. I only got to see Bob up close (and he looks about like what you'd think your 83-year-old grandpa would look like). I didn't get to chat with him. Child 1 got to talk to him and shake his hand; she was mortified. (I was out of the room, answering a question after the magazine photo shoot, she was sitting there, waiting for me, and Bob came up and talked to her.)

Everything went off without a hitch, despite the fact that it was 86 degrees, the gym has no AC. A lot of the photos look like everyone up there in robes has flop sweat. Unavoidable, but still.

I had to use my "Mom Voice" (tm) during the procession. Photographers were leaping into the street and into the line (our students process down the main college street to the gym; Bob and the faculty are at the head of the line). I firmly but loudly asked them to step back off the street. They were crowding the faculty and eventually would crowd Bob, plus they were screwing up the shot for the TV crews, who were behaving.

I'll post video when I can, but for now, Bob gave a great graduation speech, seemed to have a good time, and I'm happy he's now headed back to Cali.

I'm wiped.